Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Bye Bye, Birdie!

Yesterday, these two rust-colored birds showed up at the bird feeder. At first, I thought they might be house finches, but realized that the color was on most of the body and was a different shade of "red" than the house finches. Then I noticed the cross bill on what appeared to be the male. I photographed them through the family room window. Today, they were back and both were perched on one feeder. I got out my Western Birds book to look up Red Crossbill. When I looked out at the feeder, only one bird was there, but it soon disappeared too. I leaned over the couch to look down on the ground outside the window and saw what I first thought was a dove. Then I realized it was a hawk--type unknown--with one of the red birds in its talons. I rapped on the window, thinking I could scare it enough to make it drop the bird. No luck. It flew away, clutching the red-feathered body. Unlike Nancy, who rescued the meadowlark from the hawk, I was unsuccessful. "That's terrible!" I exclaimed to my husband. He replied, "That's natural." I suppose I'm setting these birds up to be picked off by predators---whether hawks or cats. I kept thinking, "There were plenty of goldfinches and house finches, but maybe they were just too smart."

6 comments:

That is so sad to see, you know it's natures way but it's still tough. I've had a Coopers and Sharpshinned Hawk in my feeder area many times but fortunately I've never seen them catch anything. The birds all rush away before they swoop in and land on the fence. It's given me some wonderful photo ops with them.

oh Evelyn; I can imagine how you felt and feeling. Wondering do I continue feeding and keeping a self-service feeder here for the hawk too?! It is nature but it's a bit of a brick-wall thing that you've walked into almost. The feeder and your birds and photographs though are lovely